Wrestlers finish 2-1 in season opener

The Murphysboro High School wrestling saw its season get off to a good start last week when it traveled to Centralia.The Red Devils hammered Centralia, 54-18, and Fairfield, 57-24, before falling to a very good Waterloo team, 55-24."I saw a lot of good things,'' Murphysboro coach Dan Baker said of his team's performan...

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The Daily Register - Harrisburg, IL

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Posted Dec. 9, 2013 at 2:19 PM

Posted Dec. 9, 2013 at 2:19 PM

The Murphysboro High School wrestling saw its season get off to a good start last week when it traveled to Centralia.

The Red Devils hammered Centralia, 54-18, and Fairfield, 57-24, before falling to a very good Waterloo team, 55-24.

"I saw a lot of good things,'' Murphysboro coach Dan Baker said of his team's performance. "We needed to compete against somebody else besides ourselves. We've been practicing and working out and it was time, whether we were ready or not, to wrestle somebody else."

Murphysboro had little trouble beating Centralia, losing just three of 14 matches.

"We pretty much handled Centralia and Fairfield up and down the book with our experienced guys,'' Baker said. "We did struggle some with our inexperienced guys. We had three or four guys that wrestled their first varsity match. We know these kids have a lot of promise. We've just got to get them ready and get them more matches and chances to compete."

The Red Devils didn't fare very well against Waterloo, winning just four matches.

Chamers won his match by pin at 132 pounds. Bower won at 160 pounds. Biggs was victorious at 195 pounds, and Hopkins won at 220 pounds.

"We didn't match up real well with Waterloo at the lower weights,'' Baker said. "We knew we would have to pretty much win out from 145 on up."

That did not happen, but Murphysboro was pretty solid in its season openers.

"I like our athletic ability and the way we pick things up,'' Baker said. "We've just got to keep working and get better. We had some good, solid performances."